The atmosphere suddenly grew a little tragic and heavy. Zhuo Zhixuan was quiet for a moment, then deliberately joked, “Platonic unrequited love. Is that what you mean?”
Chen Wan laughed softly, muffled in his throat.
Loving Zhao Shengge was his own affair. How he loved, and how much he loved, were also his own affairs.
This was Chen Wan’s private basic law of secret love. He was the legislator and the executor. In his own world, he implemented it perfectly, upheld it with absolute determination, and would never allow anyone else to break it.
Including Zhao Shengge himself.
But all of this was only because that person was Zhao Shengge. That was why Chen Wan was willing to do all this, even gladly.
Because that person was Zhao Shengge, all of it was bitter and sweet.
Anyone else would not do.
After late-night supper, everyone took their room cards and dispersed.
The room cards were drawn at random. They were all first-class staterooms, with no difference among them.
Chen Wan walked through the carpeted corridor. The lighting was dim and muted. Even with the ship’s excellent soundproofing, when he passed certain rooms, he could still occasionally hear some movement inside.
The young masters played wildly. Chen Wan only lowered his head and hurried forward. Following Zhao Shengge’s bank had been mentally exhausting, and he was a little tired.
Suddenly, a human shadow fell across the space ahead.
“Mr. Qin, you haven’t rested yet?” Chen Wan greeted him.
Qin Zhaoting was leaning beside the corridor window. He smiled at him. “It’s rare to come out like this. I’m looking at the night sea.”
It was already very late. The giant ship was traveling somewhere at an intersection of longitude and latitude in the open ocean. Outside the window was pitch-blackness. Far away, a lighthouse sent over a faint gleam, and the sea made the tidal sound of waves striking water.
Chen Wan nodded, about to say that he would not disturb him, but the other man seemed inclined to talk. “What about you? Why are you so late?”
Chen Wan was born the type to worry about things. After the young masters had eaten and drunk their fill and scattered, he had still checked tomorrow’s weather and route with the cruise ship’s captain and butler. Although this was not his responsibility, none of these young masters looked like someone who would handle such tasks. He was used to being thorough; asking a few extra questions let him feel at ease.
Chen Wan had no intention of chatting deeply with Qin Zhaoting, so he only said, “I took a little walk to digest. Mr. Qin—”
With a click, the door to a room at the end of the corridor opened, and a young man in a white sleeping robe walked out.
He was beautiful.
Chen Wan froze for an instant, then very quickly moved his gaze away as if nothing had happened.
The room numbers had indeed been drawn at random. But not the owner of this cruise ship’s. The person who held ownership had his own exclusive room.
The first room at the bow had the best view and scenery. Other staterooms had, at most, windows on two sides; the first room could be made with three sides facing the sea.
Qin Zhaoting observed Chen Wan’s expression. Chen Wan was still proper as he spoke with him, his face showing no change.
A trace of amusement surfaced in Qin Zhaoting’s eyes. After observing him for two seconds, he said, “You’re too distant. Just call me Zhaoting, like Tan Youming and the others do. Let’s be friends.”
Chen Wan also smiled. He was just about to speak when the door of the first-class stateroom from which the young man had emerged opened again.
This time, it was the room’s owner himself.
Even in the middle of the night, he was fully dressed in a suit.
With his back to Zhao Shengge, Qin Zhaoting asked Chen Wan, “What’s wrong?”
Chen Wan respectfully nodded behind him. “Mr. Zhao.”
Only then did Qin Zhaoting seem to discover that Zhao Shengge had come out. He smiled at him. “Why are you still awake too? Is it finished, or has it not started yet?”
Chen Wan’s face showed no change. He kept his eyes lowered, looking straight ahead, and did not join the discussion.
Zhao Shengge did not answer Qin Zhaoting’s probing. He merely criticized them in a mild tone. “Chatting outside someone’s door in the middle of the night. Isn’t that rather impolite?”
“……”
Never mind that they had been speaking very quietly and could not possibly disturb the occupants of rooms with such excellent soundproofing. Taking ten thousand steps back, the distance between where they stood and Zhao Shengge’s exclusive room could hardly be called “outside the door.”
Even so, Chen Wan immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, Mr. Zhao. We disturbed your rest.”
Qin Zhaoting: “……”
Because Chen Wan’s attitude in admitting fault was excellent, and because he was standing at some distance from Qin Zhaoting, Zhao Shengge did not continue pursuing the matter. But then he discovered that when Chen Wan spoke, he had not looked at him at all. The smile on his face was like a mechanical standard form.
Zhao Shengge suddenly said, “Which floor is the wine lounge on?”
Qin Zhaoting and Chen Wan both paused for a moment. His tone made it sound as if the ship were not Zhao Shengge’s own property. But Chen Wan still said good-temperedly, “It’s on the second floor. Would you like to have a drink?”
Zhao Shengge glanced at him, rubbed his eyes, and said in a very calm tone, not quite complaining, “Mm. My sleepiness was disturbed away.”
“……”
Then Chen Wan could only admit fault again. “I’m truly sorry. Why don’t I accompany you downstairs and choose a bottle? Consider it my apology.”
Zhao Shengge agreed, rather reluctantly.
“……”
Qin Zhaoting was still here, so of course Chen Wan could not leave him aside. “What about Mr. Qin? Would you like to go down and have a drink as well?”
“Didn’t I say you could just call me Zhaoting?”
Zhao Shengge looked at Chen Wan.
Chen Wan smiled and nodded. For someone with no background like him, one more friend meant one more path.
Zhao Shengge seemed to truly want a drink. He did not urge them, but he put both hands into his trouser pockets.
Qin Zhaoting lifted his room card and smiled with a double meaning. “I’ll pass on the drink. A spring night is rare. There are things more important than drinking.”
“……”
Chen Wan was already used to this sort of thing. He said politely, “Then I wish you a pleasant night.”
Zhao Shengge asked, “Can we go now?”
Chen Wan immediately said, “Let’s go, Mr. Zhao.”
The wine lounge on the second floor was open twenty-four hours. Expensive wines were arranged in cabinets by vintage and place of origin.
Chen Wan asked, “What would Mr. Zhao like to drink?”
Zhao Shengge propped his head on one hand, tapped the tabletop with his fingers, and said casually, “You choose.” As if he had not been the one who insisted on coming downstairs in the middle of the night for a drink.
Chen Wan watched him sitting at the bar in a daze, like a large lion that had been woken up and was not very happy about it. His eyelids were lowered. He did not look the way he usually did; he seemed relaxed and lazy. Chen Wan chose a bottle of Queen of Parma for him, not too strong and suitable for sleep, then dutifully decanted it.
The red wine swayed inside the swan glass, held in Chen Wan’s hand.
A fragrance entered Zhao Shengge’s nose. The Queen of Parma had opened up.
Chen Wan very thoughtfully ringed it with a layer of dry ice, so the mouthfeel would be more mellow.
Still, Zhao Shengge instinctively felt Chen Wan was not in especially high spirits. Although he forever wore that spring-breeze-warm expression, Zhao Shengge’s powers of observation and distinction were very strong.
Right now, Chen Wan was speaking even less than when Qin Zhaoting had been present. Zhao Shengge thought for a moment, then said with considerable understanding, “If you’re tired, go back and rest first.”
Chen Wan’s movement paused. He was a little puzzled, and a little disappointed, but he would not shamelessly stay. He smiled. “Then please enjoy it slowly, Mr. Zhao. I’ll go back and rest first. Call me anytime if you need anything.”
Zhao Shengge: “……”
Tan Youming happened to run straight into the muzzle and called him. “I heard you went downstairs for a drink?”
“Buddy,” Zhao Shengge warned him gently, “I’d rather not see any unfamiliar living creature in my room again.”
“……”
Tan Youming cried injustice. “It wasn’t me!” He had known Zhao Shengge for so many years. How could he possibly do something so stupid at the risk of being thrown into the sea to feed the sharks?
Zhao Shengge did not listen to his explanation and hung up.
He tasted the wine Chen Wan had decanted.
The fragrance of the Queen of Parma had already vanished.
At six the next morning, Whale Ship 17 had already crossed Jixi Strait, and the scenery opened up all at once.
Chen Wan had woken very early, intending to admire the famous sunrise over Sha Island.
He had not expected someone to be earlier than him.
Zhao Shengge was standing on the deck. With the sea wind blowing, he looked like a cold male model in a maritime magazine shoot.
Chen Wan poked his head out, then pulled it back again, because he felt walking over now would seem too deliberate. But he immediately felt that this movement was not especially composed.
Zhao Shengge was omnipotent and had eyes on the back of his head. He knew someone had retreated like a groundhog, thinking no gods or ghosts had noticed.
But he thought Chen Wan had left. In truth, Chen Wan was standing at the end of the cabin corridor, watching the same sunrise with him through the window.
Chen Wan had always been good at comforting himself. He even entertained himself by thinking of a line of poetry:
A bright moon rises over the sea; at the ends of the earth, we share this moment.
The rising red sun was the same.
This “sharing the moment” was something he granted unilaterally. It did not require the other person’s permission, because he had not disturbed him either.
Although he and Zhao Shengge were close enough to touch, in truth, there had always been the ends of the earth between them. So to share even one moment like this, Chen Wan felt, was already worth celebrating and treasuring.
The cruise ship had reached the heart of the sea. Influenced by warm currents, this month saw large numbers of deep-sea fish migrating upward. Tan Youming said they would eat a full seafood banquet at noon.
The ship could catch and kill seafood fresh on board. A cruise ship of this level had a complete set of fishing facilities, and all the fishing permits and related procedures were complete. Guests could also personally go sea fishing, then hand their catch over to the kitchen.
The young masters on board had exhausted themselves playing cards last night, and each of them slept until the sun was high. Sea fishing was impossible.
Before dawn, the kitchen had already begun trolling from the ship. Shrimp, crabs, shellfish, conches, deep-sea fish—the results were impressive.
Chen Wan went to the fishing deck for a look. Although every guest had filled in their physical condition when boarding, with detailed medical history, allergens, and dietary restrictions, he still had to check with the kitchen once more before he could feel at ease. If something happened out here in the vast ocean, emergency treatment might not come in time.
After confirming everything with the butler and the kitchen, Chen Wan took the elevator back to the third floor, planning to return to his room for a shower and a change of clothes. The deck had been full of lively sea creatures. His trouser cuffs were wet, and his clothes carried a faint briny smell.
When the elevator doors opened, several people approached from the other side. Seeing Chen Wan, they greeted him.
Chen Wan smiled and responded. Out of the corner of his eye, he located Zhao Shengge. Without any change in expression, he moved half a step to the left and put his hand behind his back. On the deck, a cod weighing several dozen pounds had leapt out, and he had casually helped a sailor take hold of a tool.
Zhao Shengge saw Chen Wan unconsciously move to Qin Zhaoting’s side the moment he stepped out of the elevator, exchanging greetings with everyone.
The corridor was long and narrow. When they brushed past each other, Chen Wan also tried his best to lean toward the other side. In that narrow passage, he carved out a broad avenue’s worth of distance, leaving Zhao Shengge as much room as possible to walk with the others.
Very polite.
Zhao Shengge walked past without looking sideways.
Then, suddenly, he turned his head and stared at that retreating back.
Shen Zongnian asked, “What is it?”
With his hand in his trouser pocket, Zhao Shengge rubbed the Cartier lighter. “Nothing.”
Lunch was extremely abundant. Hai City people valued freshness when eating seafood, and the preparation methods were varied: steaming, blanching, simmering into soup, roasting with star anise, or making fish slices eaten raw. The seasonings did not need to be too complicated—only a few drops of blended soy sauce and sesame oil, or fried garlic oil. The seafood’s most primal sweetness and tenderness spilled out completely, neither heating nor greasy, leaving an endless aftertaste.
Everyone ate to their heart’s content. Only Zhao Shengge was not especially enthusiastic.
Chen Wan sighed inwardly, stood, and went to the kitchen to trouble them again for a pot of seafood congee.